Exactly one year ago today, J Smith came to visit. He's been here ever since. But he's been very nice company to have around. :P
When Ode To J Smith was released there was lots of threads about the album. Some people said it was their favourite Travis album. Some people weren't too keen on the sound but others were still crying to Before You Were Young. I never feel an album can be truly judged in the first few weeks of listening to it so...
One year on, how do you feel about Ode To J Smith now? Has your opinion changed? Which songs have you grown to love over the year, and are there any you've got tired of? Questions, questions! :)
Exactly one year ago today, J Smith came to visit.
Yeah, speak for yourself, lol. Thanks to my hero Anne I got the album in november, but in Argentina it came out in december xD.
My feelings on Ode are still the same though, which is funny. I thought once the novelty was over they'd change. But my favourite songs are still the same ones (which are almost every song on the album haha), those I didn't like much I still don't (Get Up, BYWY)... BYWY might have grown in me a little, though.
And when it comes to b-sides, I still hate Used to Belong and ADORE Tail Of The Tiger, The Ballad Of J. Smith and Sarah. All three are amazing and way too great to be b-sides.
What about you, Ben? Have your feelings towards Ode changed?
I enjoy it more now because I have American Boardie Convention memories attached to many of the songs. Also, "Friends" will always have meaning for me because of the boardie versions. Ode isn't my fave album as a whole, but still...good times.
I enjoy it more now because I have American Boardie Convention memories attached to many of the songs. Also, "Friends" will always have meaning for me because of the boardie versions. Ode isn't my fave album as a whole, but still...good times.
agreed. Remember when Fran came over to Andy Monkey during Chinese Blues? I cant not think of it when I hear that song now. And the gong! not just onstage during BYWY but OUR PICTURE with the whole crew & Nick outside.
And Song to Self because of the boardie videos.
I think that Ode To J smith was not so good cd, for example The Boy...was the best for me(meanwhile). my favs songs from Ode are Tail Of The Tiger and Chinese Blues.)I am looking forward new cd! maybe will be the best!!:)
Well, I guess I went through three different phases after I finally got my hands on Ode (which was not an easy task!:D)
First I was blown away by the sound, I didn't expect it, so powerful, raw yet neat at times... It took me a while to figure out what the story being told was about (until I checked the board and it all made sense, though I wasn't a regular at the time :D)
Then it was more of a track by track discovery... connecting with the lyrics, some I liked better than others: Broken Mirror, Last Words and BYWY, were the first ones to hit me.
Less than a year has gone by for me and I feel it's a record that comes full circle. I can't avoid saying that I wish I could have heard most of Ode live, especially after watching videos of Chinese Blues and J.Smith/Something Anything/LWD, the energy on stage has left me speechless a number of times. And I've learned to appreciate other songs which hadn't made that big of an impact on me in the beginning, such as: Get Up, Quite free and for different reasons: Friends and Song to self.
I think it was a daring move on their part and it shows once again, what they're made of and how much they still have to offer.
TMW remains my number one record, Ode will probably rank number three or four, depending on the day :)
J Smith arrived to my home from Japan in november and was very welcome.
Ode is not my favourite album but that doesn't mean I don't love it.
Ana_Smith wrote:
it was more of a track by track discovery... connecting with the lyrics
agree. step by step
J Smith, Long way down, Chinese blues, Last words and Friends hit me at first. I love all b-sides
Ana_Smith wrote:
TMW remains my number one record, Ode will probably rank number three or four, depending on the day :)
ummm I think I won't be able to choose a number one, never, but TIB means a lot, has a special place... the rest of them will reach a position depending of my mood.
Remember when Fran came over to Andy Monkey during Chinese Blues? I cant not think of it when I hear that song now.
^ Yes! That was so cool, BLT. :) And I agree that our Travis Boardie Convention will always make Ode that much more special for us.
On a personal level, a year later, I am still totally in love with Ode, and the songs that I liked right from the get go are still my favorites. I don't really have a favorite Travis album. For me, I feel like each one is special for different reasons and has a different vibe. It's one of the things I love most about Travis - their ability to make such diverse music while still sounding like themselves.
The beginning of Ode: Chinese Blues, J. Smith, Something Anything, Long Way Down is so rock and roll and just in your face! I love it. Last Words is still my favorite, and then there's the end of the album: the Song To Self/Before You Were Young combo is just brilliant. Oh yeah, and Sarah is one of the most beautiful B-sides ever.
When I first got Ode (thanks to Lukey), I listened to it non-stop for months, so over the summer, I took a little break from it and listened to a lot of Good Feeling, The Invisible Band and The Boy With No Name - the Travis albums that remind me of summer. Now that fall is here, I'll probably bust out the Ode again (and also 12 Memories and The Man Who). I know I'm weird, but I like to listen to music depending on the season, lol.
So all in all, I adore Ode and give Travis a lot of credit for doing something different and unique. The whole concept of the Rock opera and the J. Smith story was pretty genius. It's a concept that could have come off as totally cheesy, but they managed to make it so freakin' cool. Fran's songwriting never ceases to amaze me.
I'd say mostly a good album - although not spectacular. I just haven't found myself going back to it very often to be honest. Like I've said before, maybe it's something to do with the way it sounds/was recorded, but I can't really pinpoint the reason exactly. Listening to it now, since you posted this lol, but probably not played it for a good few months before this.
My favourites would be Quite Free, Last Words (or, the guitar bits in particular), Something Anything and... maybe Friends (again mainly for the guitar :P). J.Smith is awesome too in the sense it's a well made and inventive piece of music. My favourite from the Ode sessions in total is Sarah though.
There's something about J.Smith that makes it special.Its like Nell says each listen reveals something new. I feel I have an album for every mood now. My favs are still my favs ; quite free and friends and JS . I would like to hear Travis do more tracks with 'chinese blues' musical bits that was also in 'walking in the sun' as they are fantastic at blending although I have a feeling next album will be epic but in a more contrived and different way. I'm imagining a sophisticated tbwnn with wings !!
hey Ben , what say you?! (dont worry , i'm on wedgie patrol ! :) )
Nice to know people can associate memories with Ode To J Smith. That's good. :)
I Came in Through the Bathroom Window wrote:
What about you, Ben? Have your feelings towards Ode changed?
My feelings settled after about 4 or 5 months and haven't changed too much since then. Like Luke, i went a while without hearing it but i've listened to it a few times recently. At the start, it was the first few songs i loved most but as time has went on i'm not quite so wow on J Smith, Something Anything and Long Way Down now (still love Chinese Blues). I've grown to love Broken Mirror more and more as time has passed but Quite Free is still my favourite. Last Words and BYWY are great too.
Can't wait to hear where the band are going to go next.
When I listened to Ode for the first time it seemed to me a little weird. But after the third time I knew I would love all these songs till the end of my life. And now, a year later, I love them even more, every single song. It's just impossible to choose one, three or five favourite, they all are very precious to me.
